State changes attendance requirements

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POSTED:March 19, 2014 10:22 a.m.

The 2014-15 school year will bring changes for some children attending Georgia schools. Health department officials in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long and McIntosh counties want to make communities aware of those changes before the end of the current school year.

Form 3300It is a requirement for parents to present a completed vision, hearing and dental screening form (form 3300) to school authorities for children entering a Georgia school for the first time. However, the form has been revised to include “nutrition” as a category. This category measures height, weight, and body-mass index. The new screening form is at www.gachd.org. Click on the Immunizations and Vaccinations link under the quick links menu on the home page. Children currently enrolled in the school pre-K program should not be required to complete an additional form 3300 for admittance into the kindergarten program.

New immunization requirementsBeginning in the 2014-15 school year, seventh-graders will be required to have the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) and meningococcal vaccines prior to entering school. Effective July 1, children born on or after Jan. 1, 2002, who are attending seventh grade and new entrants into Georgia schools in grades eight through 12 must have received one dose of Tdap vaccine and one dose of meningococcal vaccine. “New entrant” means any child entering any school in Georgia for the first time or entering after having been absent from a Georgia school for more than 12 months or one school year.For more information on tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, meningitis or the associated vaccines, go to cdc.gov.